a day ago
Bride-To-Be Excited for Vacation Wedding in 12 Hours, Then the Phone Rings
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A bride-to-be was preparing for her destination wedding, but, just 12 hours before takeoff, she received an earth-shattering phone call.
Lauren Bosworth, from the U.K., posted a clip on TikTok (@laurenb4120) of her last day in the office before becoming a married woman. The 37-year-old was due to fly from London Heathrow to Cape Town, South Africa, where her fiance and his family live.
From left: Lauren Bosworth walks down a pretend aisle in her office with paper confetti being thrown.
From left: Lauren Bosworth walks down a pretend aisle in her office with paper confetti being thrown.
@laurenb4120
The couple met while working in America in 2019 and later had a son together, but the COVID-19 pandemic and strict U.K. visa rules kept them apart for years.
"I reunited with my partner for the first time in five years last July, [which was] also the first time he met his son," Bosworth told Newsweek.
She was about to leave her office at 5 p.m. when her mom called. "My colleague picked up and told me my mom was in the hospital, [and] I assumed it was her," Bosworth said. "I picked up the line; her words to me were, 'Don't panic, but I'm in A & E [ER] … and he's covered in blood.' I immediately just went into mom mode."
A colleague rushed Lauren to the hospital, where she saw her young son in a blood-soaked school shirt and a large white bandage wrapped around his head. "My heart just broke," Bosworth said.
The wound was too large for stitches in the emergency department; due to his age, he had to be admitted to the children's ward to undergo surgery under general anesthesia the next morning—the day of Bosworth's flight.
"I hadn't really had the time to comprehend the thought about missing a flight," she said. "It wasn't until my mum apologized and blamed herself for messing it up that it really hit me. Obviously, it was no one's fault, and these accidents happen."
Bosworth informed doctors about their upcoming flight and promised to do everything they could to help them.
At one point, she stepped outside the hospital to call her fiance in South Africa—and the weight of the situation hit.
"There was a big possibility I would miss the flights and would not be going," Bosworth said. "I was so focused on making sure my little boy was OK that I couldn't quote comprehend or think clearly on what to do."
As a single mother, the thought of losing the £2,000 [$2,740] flights was devastating for her. It would also cost a further £500 [$685] to change them.
After a sleepless night in hospital—still in her work clothes—Bosworth waited for her son to come out of surgery.
Her child, whom she asked to remain anonymous, needed 30 stitches. Once he was out of surgery and eating, her mom told her to go home and get ready just in case they could make it.
Thanks to a flurry of support from hospital staff, the family was discharged just in time. They left the hospital at 4:45 p.m. and drove straight from their hometown in Leicester to London.
"I honestly didn't think we would make it," Bosworth said. "It was a rush through check-in and security and they had to test his medicine, but we got on. [We were] absolutely exhausted, but we were going to make it."
Bosworth was delighted to inform Newsweek that she is now a "Mrs." and her son will make a full recovery.
"If anything, I think he is just more careful on stairs now," Bosworth said.
